I also see BBPs point of disc in play should be left alone. I think the circumstances where this rule would be invoked are very rare in our area. Courses with sloped green with ponds at the bottom are where I could see this coming into play

And then, in those circumstances, you'd almost have to plan it out before and have someone stand at the pond's edge. Takes all the fear out of the throw.

If there's no head game; then where's the game?_________________Boyle says BOOM!

G. Altering the course of a thrown disc with the consent of the thrower in order to prevent the disc from becoming lost is not punishable interference. Any disc whose course is altered for that reason is considered to be a lost disc.

Just to be clear about this, though:
The disc is considered lost. That's a penalty of stoke and distance. It's a terrible penalty to take, and nobody in their right mind would risk it for something like #10 at Fortune. It means you're shooting three off the tee. Let the disc go OB, and you play by the (generally much more forgiving) OB rules. OB is a stroke; you get to keep (most of) the distance.

A disc that goes OB, even when not retrievable, is not lost. It is OB. This is where the pond thing doesn't sit well with me.

The complete ambiguity in this is: the rule says lost disc, and everyone is reading it as losing a disc.

A lost disc is a very specific thing. There is a section of the rules on lost discs. Throwing a disc that becomes lost is covered elsewhere.

Losing a disc is entirely different, because I can throw a disc into the middle of an OB lake or into someone's big back yard, and lose it. In both cases, it is a shot that went OB, and I treat the lie under the OB rules, not the lost disc rules.

Why is this significant?

Well, with the exception of throwing a disc off a cliff or into a black hole, how can anyone know that their disc will be a lost disc before it is even thrown!?!?!_________________Privacy is a means to democracy, not an end in itself. - unknown
Sabotage the system. Provoke more questions! - unknown

Last edited by burjwahzeh on Thu Apr 25, 2013 10:00 am; edited 4 times in total

This rule is for the bottom card, Group G, 7th round at Worlds (been there), so you can "legally" be a nice guy and not get penalized, and not add insult (lost disc) to injury (bottom card) for a guy who tried to lay-up but hit a root and is headed for the drink.

It has its place. Maybe not in the Professional rule book..._________________Boyle says BOOM!

The PDGA has got to grow up and stop trying to foster both professional and amateur aspects of the game. You can't do one and make the other happy. Will they ever learn?_________________Privacy is a means to democracy, not an end in itself. - unknown
Sabotage the system. Provoke more questions! - unknown